Course News

13th December 2018

Course Winter Projects 2018/19

The following is a list of projects that we hope to complete on the course this winter. Further work may be added should time and conditions permit. Your patience is appreciated while this work is in progress.

Install Irrigation on the 4th approach, 5th approach, left of the 17th green and upgrade irrigation on the 14th tee.

These areas dry out quite badly during dry weather. Installing irrigation will allow us to produce a better playing surface. As the 14th tee is one of only 2 remaining soil tees on the course and the irrigation has never been upgraded, this tee suffers during dry weather and requires a lot more attention than other tees. Upgrading the irrigation will improve the surface and reduce the amount of time needed to keep the tee in good condition.

Dig out Bunker faces and replace soil.

On many of the bunker faces sand has built up over the years from when golfers are playing out of the bunkers and sand sprays out when taking the shot. Between 4 and 8 inches of sand has built up which means that these areas dry out very quickly and have no grass on them for much of the summer. By removing the sand and replacing the topsoil we will be able to maintain grass cover on these areas.

Build 2 new bunkers to replace the large bunker in front of the 16th green.

This bunker is extremely large, is out of proportion with the rest of the hole and is not in keeping with the rest of the bunkers on the course. We will replace the one large bunker with 2 smaller bunkers. This will improve the playability and aesthetics of the hole and improve the pace of play.

Trees.

Remove 4 trees to the left of the 1st tee.

Some of these trees have been storm damaged and they also keep the 1st tee in shade for a large proportion of the day. Removing them will increase light and air circulation for the tee which will help to improve the tee quality. It will also brighten up the area beside the tee relieving the claustrophobic feeling when waiting to tee off.

Top leylandii trees on the left hand side of the 3rd fairway and remove the back row.

These trees have not been topped for approximately 6 years and are at such a height that the houses behind them get virtually no sunlight on their properties. In the interest of good neighbour relations we have agreed to reduce the height of these tree as before.

Remove the back row and top the front row of trees left of the 5th tee.

The back row have grown over our boundary into the neighbouring house and serve no purpose. They also prevent sun light from ever entering our neighbour’s garden. Topping the front row will increase light into the property further and will also improve the view of Bray Head from the tee.

Reduce the size of the lone tree front left of the 6th green.

This tree has started to affect the approach shot to the green. In order to keep a natural look and shape, the entire tree will be trimmed.

Top the leylandii to the left of the 12th hole.

As with the 3rd in the interest of good neighbour relations we will be topping these trees as before to allow light into the adjoining properties.

Remove a number of trees from the 9th 12th and 15th.

The group of leylandii to the right of the 9th just past the fairway bunkers have spread so widely that they are threatening to dominate the hole. We plan on removing the first row of these trees so that more options are available for shots being played from the right side of the fairway. This will also reduce the risk of balls leaving the boundary on the left side of the hole.

We will also continue with the tree thinning of the leylandii on the 12th and 15th (approximately 10 trees). This will help improve the visibility of the holes and widen the fairways slightly. It will allow more light and air movement through the fairway will help improve the quality of the turf.

Fill in Bunkers on the 5th and 7th.

The bunker on the front left of the 5th can’t be seen from the tee as was originally intended. It sees very little use as we do not use the front of the green for pin positions due to the severe slope.

The bunker on the left of the 7th fairway also cannot be seen from the tee and balls rarely land in it.

Both these bunkers serve no purpose strategically but still require daily maintenance which is poor use of resources.

Relocate the path on the 1st.

The path running down the hill from the first tee is quite steep and has become slippery as the tar has worn smooth. We will build a new path from the top of the hill which will traverse in a c shape across the hill rather than straight down to reduce the severity of the slope. While we are doing this we will also reduce the severity of the slope at the front of the ladies winter tee to allow for easier maintenance and improve it visually

Relocate the path on the 18th.

The area before the path is particularly wet as the surrounding area naturally falls in this direction. It is also directly in front of the teeing area which catches some shorter hitters or a mishit tee shot.

We will relocate the path to run down the left hand side of the tee and head for the left side of the 18th fairway. This will improve the access to the path as golfers leave the 17th green and will also improve the visual aspect from the tee.

Drainage.

There are number of wet areas on the course that need to be drained.

Bottom of hill on the 1st.

In front of the 4th tee.

Back of 1st green/around 2nd tee

Right hand side of 18th fairway.

14th September 2018

As we move into the Autumn there are a number of maintenance jobs that we must carry out to help maintain the high standard we have come to expect from the course.

We have already scarified all tees and collars and we will be scarifying fairways during the week starting 24th Sept. This helps to reduce the amount of thatch and sponginess in the grass sward and it also helps reduce the amount of lateral growth. This will encourages upright growth and increases sward density and in turn provide better grass cover and better presentation of the ball. The down side is that it may be quite disruptive to golfers for a short time. This process will leave the fairways quite untidy while it is going on and golfers may have to take relief from debris on the fairway, also we have to hire the machine to carry out this work and as it is a very big job we don’t have the luxury of being able to fit it in between competition days. We ask for your cooperation while this work is being carried out and apologize in advance for getting in your way.

We will also be over seeding any areas that have not recovered from the very dry summer. Unfortunately we do not have irrigation on our fairways and in some areas the grass has died off completely. The quickest and least disruptive method of repairing these areas is by introducing fresh seed by ways of a special machine which injects seed into the ground.

Greens will also be over seeded to try and introduce finer, better drought and disease resistant grassed. There will be a little disruption to the putting surface as we do this. The method will be to solid tine the greens with a larger tine than we normally use, spread the seed into the holes and top dress the green after to fill in the holes.

21st March 2018

Mats. Members are urged to use the fairway mats in all areas designated by blue lines. Also please refrain from practice swings in these areas. Failure to comply with the local rule results in a two-stroke penalty. Members are also requested to respect the ropes and follow the paths designated.

Works. The mound at the back of the first greenside bunker to the left of the 9th green is being reshaped as it is being damaged by the machines. Some new trees have been planted to the left of the second hole. The rough will be grown in on this side of the hole and the new part of the fairway on the right will be opened as soon as is practicable. Gorse has been removed off the front of the tee on the 8th hole to improve visibility. When playing this hole all members are requested to consider selecting a club for their tee shot to leave an approach to the green of no fewer than 100 metres.

Two trees have been removed to the left of the path from the 12th tee to the 13th tee. Two small trees are being removed to the right of the path on the 1st hole before they can interfere with the line off the tee. More trees have been “upcut” on the 3rd, 13th and 15th holes to improve playability and introduce more light to these areas.

23 November 2017

Course closures. Unfortunately its that time of year again when the course may be closed due to either frost, freezing conditions or rain. If the course is closed due to frost there will be an inspection at 11.00am. The course will reopen as soon as it has thawed.

Freezing conditions can also close the course. While there may be no visible frost and the course looks fine, the surface may be frozen solid. This is also very damaging to the grass plant as when the grass is walked on, the roots and stems of the grass get pierced by ice crystals damaging the cell structure. This at the very least causes dye back in the plant but can also kill the plant completely. During these periods temporary greens will be used and as with frosty conditions full greens will reopen as soon as they have thawed out. Please be aware though that on colder days the greens don’t thaw out at all.

When the course is closed due to rain, a decision will be made as to whether there will be an inspection 11.00am. In some cases the weather may be so bad that the course may be closed for the day. After a prolonged period of rain it usually take between 2 and 3 hours of dry weather for the course to be playable again. However this is very much dependent on the preceding weather. If we have had a lot of rain and the ground is quite wet it takes longer for the course to drain.

We are very mindful of the disruption and upset that closing the course causes to members, however it is only ever done as a last resort and every effort is made to keep the course open. If we do not close during these bad weather conditions the quality of the course will be significantly affected for the worst. While we try to produce a good quality course during the winter my ultimate goal is to produce the finest quality course possible for the golfing season and without protecting it during the winter this simply cant be done.

16th November 2017

Dear Members

As you may be aware, some of our fairways suffer badly with divots during the winter months. In an attempt to prevent long-term damage fairway mats have been introduced on selected holes. Please note the following local rule:

Local Rule

Fairway mats are in use on holes 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 13 in areas designated by blue lines. If a ball lies in these areas golfers have a choice. Play the ball off the mats supplied from where the ball lies, or drop off the fairway at the nearest point out of the designated area, not nearer the hole. The ball can then be placed within 6 inches of where it lies. It is not permitted to drop the ball on the fairway out of the designated area.

11th October 2017

Dear Members,

From 14th October 2017 in order to better protect the area of Ground Under Repair between the 2nd and 3rd fairways please proceed in accordance with rule 25-1as follows:

When playing the 2nd hole, if your ball lies in the area marked as Ground Under Repair it should be dropped within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief, on the side of the area of Ground Under Repair closest to the 2nd fairway.

When playing the 3rd hole, if your ball lies in the area marked as Ground Under Repair it should be dropped within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief, on the side of the area of Ground Under Repair closest to the 3rd fairway.

Please also note that tractor tyre marks in this area are Ground Under Repair and rule 25-1 applies and the ball should be dropped within one club length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief.

Under no circumstances should a golf buggy or golf trolley enter the seeded area.

17th September 2017

Dear Members.

On the 18th September work will commence on two projects. Your patience will be valued and the long-term benefits will be worth the short-term disruption.

Verti-cutting Fairways: We will be verti-cutting fairways for a period of one week, weather permitting. Verti-cutting cuts the grass vertically which helps reduce lateral growth and encourages upright growth. This will help improve the quality of the fairways by producing more of an upright stance to the grass plant and will present the ball better.

While this work is being carried out, waste material is produced, which will then be removed. A ball coming to rest on the waste material prior to its removal may be marked and lifted without penalty, the area cleared of the waste material, and the ball dropped no nearer the hole.

Trees : We will be starting the removal of a number of trees to the right of the 2nd fairway for a period of two weeks, weather permitting. This work is essential to address the safety concerns caused by balls leaving the course boundary. During this time the main tee box will be closed and a temporary tee box approximately one third the way down the fairway, on the left hand side, will be in use. The par and index of the hole will remain unchanged.

22nd August 2017

On 21st July 2017, Mr. Conor Nolan, Turfgrass Agronomist with STRI Ltd., carried out the annual survey of the course. During his visit he was very complimentary of the quality of the greens, fairways and tee boxes. Below please find a summary of the report.

Greens

The report states: “Putting surface quality was the best I have ever recorded, anywhere”. Objective measurements were taken for speed, trueness and smoothness. The average green speed was 11ft 11in as measured by the stimpmeter. Smoothness was 9.5 mm/m with the target set at less than 23 mm/m and trueness was measured at 3.5 mm/m with a target of less than 8 mm/m.

Fairways

The report states: “Fairways offered good definition and ball support” and “No weeds were noted anywhere which reflects the high standard overall”.

Tee Boxes

The report states: “The tees were in very good condition offering good grass, good visual presentation and quick recovery from divot scarring”.

The main recommendations were to consider introducing finer grasses, such as fescues, to the greens and in particular to the aprons, and to consider removing groups of evergreen trees to promote air movement and create openings for sunlight, in particular on the 12th and 15th holes.

The council has congratulated Keith and his team on this excellent report.

17th May 2017

Tee Boxes. Members are respectfully requested to use the tee markers of the day on the teeing grounds, when practising on the course. Tee shots should never be played off the medal positions on any tee box.

20th April 2017

Divot Bags. Now that placing has been lifted members are encouraged to use the divot bags supplied on the 1st and 10th tees to repair the damage on the fairways. This is especially important at this time of year. Thank you for your cooperation.

29th March 2017

Winter Golf. Winter golf usually ends around the middle of April and this year is looking like it will be the same. While summer tees and blue markers will be used for the 1st medal this Saturday, winter tees will be in play again on Sunday and the following week. As soon as there is enough recovery/growth we will transfer back onto summer tees permanently. We will also monitor whether it is dry/firm enough to lift placing.

Winter fairway mats will also be taken in when there is enough growth/recovery. Although many golfer aren’t fans of the mats I think they have made a huge difference to the condition of the fairway going into the season with a very noticeable reduction in the amount of divots where they have been in use

We will be installing some drainage on the right hand side of the 12th surround once it is dry enough. This area receives a lot of traffic and gets quite compacted. Even during this relatively dry winter this area has been very spongy and wet. While this work is being carried out and while the area is recovering I would ask that golfers access the green from the back. We are also installing some extra irrigation to the back of the 11th green.

You will be glad to know that fairway topdressing is complete for this year with approx. 800 tonnes of sand applied. Unfortunately we will be starting back to our usual top dressing program on greens once there is sufficient growth. If your wondering why we need to top dress so much you can read a previous post from May last year below ↓

21st February 2017

Local Rule Amendment – Fairway Mats

Effective 24th February 2017

Fairway mats are in use on holes 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 13 in areas designated by blue lines. If a ball lies in these areas golfers have a choice. Play the ball off the mats supplied from where the ball lies, or drop off the fairway at the nearest point, not nearer the hole. The ball can then be placed within 6 inches of where it lies. It is not permitted to drop the ball on the fairway out of the designated area. Failure to comply will result in a two-shot penalty.

16th February 2017

Markers. New distance markers have been ordered. These will replace the existing distance markers on the fairways.

15th February 2017

Course Routing. The route to the right of the 4th green has been closed for safety reasons. All traffic is now directed to the left of the bunker on the left hand side of the green.

31st January 2017

Practice Net. Work has begun on preparing a new site for the practice net. It will be move to an area behind the chipping green. This will mean that golfers teeing off the first tee will no longer be distracted by the noise of people practicing and congregating at the practice net.

17th January 2017

Mats – Mats are in use on selected areas on the course marked by blue stakes and lines. Instructions on the correct use on the mats can be found on the notice boards in the clubhouse. The mats are necessary to protect vulnerable areas of the course and with that in mind members are requested to refrain from practice swings in areas where the mats are in use.

Roped-off areas – Certain areas of the course are protected by the use of supports and ropes, in particular routes around greens. If it is necessary to move a support to play a shot please remember to replace it so that the area it was protecting remains protected.

Trees – The trees to the right side of the 12th hole from the tee to the green have been “upcut”. This will introduce more light to promote growth, and also improves the visual impact of the trees. Two of the three trees to the right side of the 3rd fairway at about 100m from the green will be removed. At present these trees completely block the approach to the green for balls positioned on the right side of the fairway. Removal of these trees was recommended by the Kimber Golf report. The last of the line of trees on the approach to the 10th green on the right-hand side will be removed. This is to introduce light in this area to promote growth in the area just short of the right front corner of the green

Maintenance Update Thursday 1st Dec

Course closures. Unfortunately its that time of year again when the course may be closed due to either frost, freezing conditions or rain. If the course is closed due to frost there will be an inspection at either 10.00 or 11.00 depending on the severity of the frost. The course will reopen as soon as it has thawed.

Freezing conditions can also close the course. While there may be no visible frost and the course looks fine, the surface may be frozen solid. This is also very damaging to the grass plant as when the grass is walked on, the roots and stems of the grass get pierced by ice crystals damaging the cell structure. This at the very least causes dye back in the plant but can also kill the plant completely. During these periods temporary greens will be used and as with frosty conditions full greens will reopen as soon as they have thawed out. Please be aware though that on colder days the greens don’t thaw out at all.

When the course is closed due to rain, a decision will be made as to whether there will be an inspection at 10.00 or 11.00. In some cases the weather may be so bad that the course may be closed for the day. After a prolonged period of rain it usually take between 2 and 3 hours of dry weather for the course to be playable again. However this is very much dependent on the preceding weather. If we have had a lot of rain and the ground is quite wet it takes longer for the course to drain.

We are very mindful of the disruption and upset that closing the course causes to members, however it is only ever done as a last resort and every effort is made to keep the course open. If we do not close during these bad weather conditions the quality of the course will be significantly affected for the worst. While we try to produce a good quality course during the winter my ultimate goal is to produce the finest quality course possible for the golfing season and without protecting it during the winter this simply cant be done.

Maintenance Update Wednesday 12th Oct.

As the main golfing season has now finished and the grass has started to slow down, we will be raising height of cut on all areas of fine turf over the next few weeks. This will allow the grass to recover slightly and offer a better protection from all the wear and tear during the winter months. This means unfortunately that green speed will be affected and they will become a bit slower.

We will also be continued with our fairway topdressing and verti-draining program before the weather gets too cold and the grass stops growing altogether. This will help to keep the fairways drier during wet periods and offer a much better surface to play from.

Maintenance Update Tues 31st May

Top dressing. Top dressing is an essential part of the maintenance program on our greens. The key functions of topdressing include – Keeping the surface smooth, increase water movement through the green and help to maintain a firm surface, but the most important function is to reduce the amount of thatch that builds up in the greens. Thatch is a build up of dead material/organic matter from the grass plant i.e. leaves, stems, stolons. In the past we have reduced this by trying to physically removing it by hollow tining and deep scarifying/verti-cutting, both of which are very disruptive to the green effecting both ball roll and golfers. We now put out enough sand to mix with the thatch and dilute it enough so that it does not become a problem. This allows us to dispense with the more disruptive methods of thatch reduction.
If we do not treat the thatch the greens will become very soft and spongy. They will hold a lot of water and will be more susceptible to attack from disease as the thatch produces an ideal environment for the disease spores to multiply. The target range for organic matter/thatch set by the stri is between 3% and 3.5%. In our annual report last year we were just about within that range on two of our test greens and slightly over on another. “This is a very stringent target range that very few achieve throughout the UK and Ireland. This is a great result and well earned” These are very encouraging results and shows that we are just on target with the amount of sand that we are putting on our greens and any deviation from this would have a detrimental effect of our greens.

Maintenance Update Thursday 17 Dec

Winter Golf. With barely a dry day in November, and 150mm for December to date the course is not surprisingly extremely wet, with some areas unable to take foot traffic at all. Most of these areas have been roped off and I would ask golfer to respect these ropes and to walk around them when they are encountered. I would also ask that you try to spread the wear as much as possible by taking different routes from greens to tees and avoid obvious wet areas.

I also think its worth mentioning that although we have had such wet weather we are seeing the benefit of all the drainage work and sanding that we have done over the past number of years. We have had individual rainfalls of 20mm,30mm,26mm,42mm,48mm and 52mm after which the course has been open the following day. I can remember approx 10yrs ago when the back 9 was closed for 62 days during the winter and without the cooperation of council and members to tolerate the disruptive drainage work and sanding we would still be in that position.

Maintenance Update Thursday 29 Oct.

Winter Golf. After a very dry and mild Autumn the rain has hit this week with a bang and the course is getting quite wet with more rain forecast. The more we can do to protect the course during the Winter the better it will perform during the following Spring/Summer. We have already brought in placing and we will be moving onto winter tees from tomorrow, Friday 30th. There are a number of things golfers can do to keep the course in the best condition possible. – Repair divots and pitch marks. – Respect ropes and hoops, walk around them when they are encountered and replace them if you need to take one down to play a shot. – Rake bunkers after you. – Try to keep trolleys as far from greens and tees as possible. – Keep buggies in the rough when possible and never stop on a hill. – Try to avoid walking the same way from greens to tees, try to spread the wear, if it looks muddy,worn or wet take another route.

Divot Bags. Ofthe 200 divot bags we bought there are 17 remaining. I would like to remind golfer that when they take a divot bag to return it when they have finished their round. There is a box provided beside the air bay. There is a cost involve to supply them and we cant afford to keep replacing 200 bags every six months.

Maintenance Update Tuesday 13 Oct.

Fairway Top dressing. We will be continuing with our fairway top dressing over the next few months. During this time whatever fairway is being top dressed on a particular day will have preferred lies. There will be a note on the time sheet advising which fairways will be included for that day.

Fairway top dressing is essential for a number of reasons. We have invested heavily over the past 10 years on drainage and sanding ensures that these drains do not get capped with a soil lair which would slow and eventually stop water from reaching the drains. It also allows water to pass through the surface, preventing the fairways from becoming water logged and allowing us to keep the course open. As with the greens, the sand also helps to dilute the thatch layer preventing them from becoming too spongy.

Height of cut. The temperatures are now starting to fall (particularly at night) and this means that the growth and recovery has also doped off significantly. In order to help protect the grass we will be raising heights of cut across the entire course with the exception of the rough. As a result of this the green speed will unfortunately suffer and I expect them to become a bit slower. We will also be moving onto winter tee boxes towards the end of this month.

I would like to remind golfers that during the winter it is extremelyimportant that you repair pitch marks on greens and replace divots on tees and fairways as they will not really start to recover until next spring.

Maintenance Update Tuesday 15th Sept.

Improve collars. A grass species called ryegrass has started to appear in the collars of the greens. While ryegrass performs very well on tee boxes and fairways it can develop a tufted habit, and is quite difficult to putt through. It also tends to grab the club when swinging through. Ryegrass also looks quite unsightly on our collars as we have adopted a low nutrient input approach which means that it tends to stand out as a dark green grass against the paler surrounding grasses.

It is our intention to chemically treat the collars to remove the offending grass. This will mean that certain areas of the collars will look as if they are dying back over the next few weeks but these areas will quickly recover and will be repopulated with finer species such as the bent and annual meadow grasses which populate the majority of our collars.

Maintenance Update Wednesday 05 August

Top dressing. Top dressing is an essential part of the maintenance program on our greens. The key functions of topdressing include – Keeping the surface smooth, increase water movement through the green and help to maintain a firm surface, but the most important function is to reduce the amount of thatch that builds up in the greens. Thatch is a build up of dead material/organic matter from the grass plant i.e. leaves, stems, stolons. In the past we have reduced this by trying to physically removing it by hollow tining and deep scarifying/verti-cutting, both of which are very disruptive to the green effecting both ball roll and golfers. We now put out enough sand to mix with the thatch and dilute it enough so that it does not become a problem. This allows us to dispense with the more disruptive methods of thatch reduction.
If we do not treat the thatch the greens will become very soft and spongy. They will hold a lot of water and will be more susceptible to attack from disease as the thatch produces an ideal environment for the disease spores to multiply. The target range for organic matter/thatch set by the stri is between 3% and 3.5%. In our annual report last year we were just about within that range on two of our test greens and slightly over on another. “This is a very stringent target range that very few achieve throughout the UK and Ireland. This is a great result and well earned” These are very encouraging results and shows that we are just on target with the amount of sand that we are putting on our greens and any deviation from this would have a detrimental effect of our greens.

Maintenance Update Tuesday 28 July

STRI Visit. Last week we had our annual visit fromour course agronomist. We have been taking various measurements on 3 sample greens for the past 4 years so that we can collect and analyse the data to ensure that our maintenance regime is correct and highlight any areas which could be improved. The results have been encouraging with improved figures year on year and the initial results from this year again showing an improvement on green smoothness and trueness.

I will post some more details once we receive his full report.

Maintenance Update Wednesday 08 July

Rainfall. We have had 48mm of rain over the last week. While this rain was needed, it would have been better for the course if it had fallen as persistent light rain rather than very heavy showers, as it tends to run off before it has a chance to soak down to the roots. Control of the moisture content in the greens has largely been taken out of our control which means that they are a little softer and running a bit slower than I would like but the putting surface is still in excellent condition.

Maintenance Update Wednesday 24th June

Bunkers are included in this weeks maintenance program. All bunkers will be edged, smoothed, stones removed, sand pushed back onto the faces and sand levels checked and adjusted. This is a very labor intensive job which takes three men two days to complete. We ask members to please rake the bunkers carefully after use and to leave the rakes inside the bunkers ( not on the edge ).

Please repair pitch marks and replace / fill divots.

Maintenance Update Friday 19th June

Greens were micro-tined on Tuesday 16th June to soften the putting surface as it can get a bit too firm during weather conditions that we are currently “enjoying”. Simply increasing water applications can lead to soft lush growth which encourages disease, increased thatch, and spongy slow greens when the weather returns to normal. Currently our greens moisture content is between 25%-30% . Our target range is 15%-20%

Course News

For course information on days with severe weather conditions please call ahead to the Pro Shop.